Hand truck



.M 22. 1924. 1,502,057 I A. S. PIPER HANDTHUCK Filed June 14,- 1922 2 $heeI. s-Sheet 1 A yd? Patented July 22, 1924.

ALONZO S.

OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

HAND TRUCK.

Application filed June 14, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoNzo S. PIPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented a new and useful Hand Truck, of which the fol-' lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to hand-trucks and is particularly directed to a type of truck by which the load to be transported is gripped between two operable gripping members.

An object of the invention is to generally improve and simplify the operating mechanism of a truck of the above character.

Another object is to provide a truck having laterally movable gripper members as sociated with means by which the weight of the load is transmitted directly to the truck frame so that the operating mechanism is relieved of the weight of the load.

. A further object is to provide an operat ing mechanism for the gripper members including cam links and a cooperating slide member having a sliding cam engagement with the links to translate the gripper members.

Various other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings which form a part of this disclosure, and which illustrate a preferred form of embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing the gripping members and operating mechanism in normal position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the truck in a substantially upright position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line 3--3, of Flg. 1. v V

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on line H, of Fig. 1. V I

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on line 55, of Fig. 1.

In practicing my. invention I provide the truck with cam links or armsv pivotally mounted at their upper ends having gripe ping means below and controlled by means movable longitudinally of the truck and cooperating with the cam links to move the same in and out.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the

Serial No. 568,175.

1011, preferably of wood and terminating at their upper ends with handles 1.2, a transverse cross bar 13, and transverse plates or bars 14 and 15, the bar 13 and plates 14 and 15 forming with the side-rails 10 and 11, a rigid frame structure.

Attached to the lower portions of the side-- rails are brackets 16 carrying a transversev shaft 17 upon the ends of which are journaled ground wheels 18, and extending rearwardly from the upper portions of the siderails are grip members 19 which serve also as means for supporting the truck in a hori- ,zontal position.

The lower ends of the side-rails are slotted as at 20 and the rails are faced with metal strips 21 which form the outer walls of said slots with the bolts 22 forming the lower wall of the slots.

Right-angled gripper members 23 are slidably positioned within the respective slots 20 and have forwardly extending arms 24- provided with means to engage a box, for example, inturned points or spurs 25, these gripper members being adapted to be trans lated in the slots 20 towards and away from each other to effect a clamping or releasing of boxes or other articles to be carried by the truck.

Positioned on opposite sides of the plate 14: and pivotally connected thereto at 2626 are pairs of depending cam links 2727, each pair of said links having intermediate port-ions inclined to the longitudinal axis of the truck, and preferably being oppositely curved and extended downwardly on opposite sides of the plate 15 and the respective gripper members 23 to. which they are pivotally connected at 28. Theinner end of each gripper member 23 is guided by aligning arms 29 extending upwardly from'said member on opposite'sides of the plate 15 and the lower edge of the plate 15 being shaped so asto be constantly engagedby the in ner ends of the gripper members 23 and maintain them in an approximate horizon tal plane. By this arrangement the weight of the load is directly transmitted to the frame of the truck therebyyreli'e ving the operating mechanism of the weight of the would have a natural tendency to rock said V theboltsg i fees are. alarme the maintaining of the gripping members in a desired "horizontal plane.

The mechanismwhich" cooperates with" the cam links to translate the grip-ping members, includes a slide bar 30 having a sliding engagement with the plate between two guide pins 31 thereon, and wit the plate let between an abutment 32 and a lock lever 33, said lock lever being pivoted on the plate lt and having anceccentric portion adapted to clamp the slide bar against said "abutment and maintain said bar against movement, the lock lever 33- being connected by a rod34; with a shortarm on-one of the handgrips 19; the hand grip is rotatable so as t enable it tooperate the A cross-head 35is secured to the slide bar SO'with its forward and rear walls'positioned on opposite sides of the cam links 2.7, and between the walls of said cross-head are positioned pairs of rollers 36 with the respective rollers of each pair positioned to engage the opposite edges ofthe respective cam links Q/Z (see-particularly Fig.

The slide 30 is urged to normal upper po sition by a spring 37 which connects with the bar l3and with a lever 38 which is pivted tothe side-rail 11 and is connected to the slide 30by a link 39, and the slide 30 is provided with a pedal operating member 40 which the operator may step on to cause a downward translation of the operating. slide 80.

Uponwsuch downward translation of the slide 30, the outer of 'each pair of the rollers 36 engaging the curved outer edges of the resp'ective'cam links 27 will effect an inward movement of the lower ends of said links and of the gripping members 23 So that said members will forcibly grip a box or other article between them,

After gripping box, the lock lever 33 is, operated to lock the operating mechanism, whereupon thebox or other articles can be safely transported by the truck without danger of becoming prematurely released. -To release the load the lockrlever 33 is returned td its \normal position, and the spring 37 will then-effect the return of the operating- :Inechan-ism and". gripping meme bers to their normal position.

It iste beu'ndersto'od that while I have herein illustratedand described a preferred form of embodimentof the-invention, I do not wish.to be-limited-in this-regard, forit is susceptible of embodiment in various other formsallcoming within the scope of the following claims.

r, I- claim: v p I V e h ndtifnck, a frame, load, gripping members ioent edsl' etra n$?ei$e1y on trainee-awards and away from each members, a manually,operated slide ba'r l ar ingmeanscooperating with said links with a cam action to separate saijd'members dur ing a movementof the bar in one direction and to force said members towards each other during areverse movement of the bar to grip a load tobe transported, and'means for locking the slide in adjusted position.

3. Ina hand-truck, a; frame, load gripping members mounted to slide transversely on the frame towards and away fromv each other, oppositely curved depending links pivoted to the frame with their lower ends each pivoted to a respective gripping member, a slide bar having a cross-head cooperating with said links with a cam action and manually operatable to force said members towards each other to grip a load to be transported, means for locking said bar in adjusted position, and tension meansto return the slide bar and separate the 'gr pping members upon a release of the locking means.

4. In a hand-truck, a frame, load gripping members mounted to slide transverslly of the frame towards and away from each other,,-oppositely curved cam links posed in general directioirlongitudinal of the frame with their [upper ends pivoted thereto in spaced relation and their lower ends each pivotally connected to a respective'gripping member a manually Ope at longitudinally movable slide bar, and rollers carried by said bar and engaging-the edges of the respective cam links to/efifect a transverse movement of the gripping members during a longitudinal movement- 013 Saidbar.

5. In a hand-truck, a frame, load gfripping members monnted to slide transversely of the frame towards and away from'each other, oppositely curved cam links disposed in; a general direction longitudinal of the frame with their upper ends pivoted thereto in spaced relation and theirlower ends eacliv pivotally connected toa respective gripper member, a manually operated longitudinally movable slide bar having a trans ve se crosshead providing oppositely inge and ineansflon'each, said arms cooperatfg with th? respeetive can links to cause a transverse movement of the gripping members during a longitudinal movement of the slide bar.

6. In a hand-truck, a frame, load gripping members mounted to slide transversely of the frame towards and away from each other, oppositely curved cam links disposed in a general direction longitudinal of the frame with their upper ends pivoted thereto in spaced relation and their lower ends each pivotally connected to a respective gripping member, a manually operated longitudinally movable slide bar having a transverse cross-head providing opposed arms extending adjacent the respective links, and cam rollers carried by each cross-head arm and engaging opposite edges of said links, whereby a longitudinal movement of the slide bar will effect a transverse movement of the gripping members towards and away from each by the cooperative cam action of the rollers with the cam links.

7. In a hand-truck, the combination of a frame with wheels and including a cross bar adjacent the wheeled end of the truck, a pair of gripping members mounted to slide on the frame transversely having spurs on their outer ends to grip the box, and having means at their inner ends for engaging the cross bar, said cross-bar operating to prevent an upward movement of the inner ends of the gripping bars under the action of the load carried by their outer ends, and means for moving" the gripping members in and out.

8. In a hand-truck, the combination of a frame with wheels and having a cross bar adjacent the wheels, a pair of gripping members mounted to slide transversely in and out on the frame, having spurs on their outer ends for engaging the box, and having means at their inner ends for engaging the lower edge of the cross bar when the truck is held in a substantially upright position,

whereby the cross bar prevents an upward movement of the inner ends of the gripping members under the action of the weight of a box held by the gripping members, a pair of cam links connected at their outer ends to the gripping members for moving the same and pivotally attached at their inner ends to the frame, and a cross head mount "and pivotally attached at their lower ends respectively to the grippers, the body portions of said links being inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the frame, and means guided to move longitudinally of the truck for'engaging the inclined portions of said links, and operating when moved longitudinally of the truck to move the grippers in or out. 7

10. In a hand truck, the combination of a frame, a pair of oppositely disposed links pivotally attached to the frame at their upper ends and having gripping means at their lower ends respectively to engage a box, said links having portions inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the frame, and a cross head guided to slide longitudinally on the frame for engaging the inclined portions of the links, and operating when moved longitudinally of the frame to force the gripping means in and out.

Signed at Los Angeles, California this 7th day of June 1922.

ALONZO S. PIPER. 

